Real time location system

• US 10,334,401 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2017
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pigeon Networks, Co.
• Original Assignee: Pigeon Networks, Co.
• Inventors: Marson, Jonathan L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming, William D
• Application Number:
  US15/853,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20180184255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 34042619, 34053913, 4554561
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/01 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0414 during transmission, i.e. party's identity is protected against eavesdropping, e.g. by using temporary identifiers, but is known to the other party or parties involved in the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method includes receiving a beacon identifier and a location of a beacon associated with the beacon identifier from an individual location monitoring system operated by a first entity. The method further includes, with a data hosting system operated by a second entity, determining an identity of a monitored individual associated with the beacon identifier, associating the location of the beacon with the identity of the monitored individual, and receiving a request for the location of the monitored individual including authentication credentials. The method further includes, with the data hosting system, determining if the requesting individual is authorized to access data about the monitored individual and, if the requesting individual is authorized to access the data, providing the location of the monitored individual to the device, wherein the identity of the monitored individual is stored on the data hosting system and is inaccessible to the individual location monitoring system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

with a data hosting system, receiving a beacon identifier and a location of a beacon associated with the beacon identifier from an individual location monitoring system, the individual location monitoring system comprising a first computer system operated by a first entity, wherein the location of the beacon is determined by the first computer system, and the data hosting system comprises a second computer system and is operated by a second entity;

with the data hosting system, determining an identity of a monitored individual associated with the beacon identifier based at least in part on the beacon identifier;

with the data hosting system, associating the location of the beacon with the identity of the monitored individual;

with the data hosting system, receiving a request from a device associated with a requesting individual for the location of the monitored individual, the request including authentication credentials associated with the monitored individual;

with the data hosting system, verifying that the requesting individual is authorized to access data about the monitored individual based at least in part on the authentication credentials in the request; and

providing the location of the monitored individual to the device associated with the requesting individual;

wherein the identity of the monitored individual is stored on the data hosting system and is inaccessible to the individual location monitoring system operated by the first entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device associated with the requesting individual is a mobile device, and the method further comprises:

with the data hosting system;

determining a location of the mobile device;

determining a first distance between the mobile device and the monitored individual; and

sending a message to the mobile device if the first distance is greater than a predetermined threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

with the data hosting system, determining a first distance between the monitored individual and a predetermined geographic area; and

sending a signal to the device if the first distance is less than a predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the device associated with the requesting individual is a mobile device, and the method further comprises:

with the data hosting system;

determining a location of the mobile device;

determining a first distance between the monitored individual and a predetermined geographic area;

determining a second distance between the mobile device and the monitored individual; and

sending a message to the mobile device if the first distance is less than a first threshold and the second distance is greater than a second threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

with the data hosting system, receiving a request from the device associated with the requesting individual to view video of the monitored individual, the request including the authentication credentials associated with the device;

with the data hosting system, verifying that the individual associated with the authentication credentials is authorized to access data about the monitored individual;

with the data hosting system, determining which of one or more video cameras operated by the individual location monitoring system is closest to the monitored individual; and

with the data hosting system, sending a signal to the device to allow the device to view video from the determined video camera.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving the beacon identifier and the location of the beacon associated with the beacon identifier, with the data hosting system, receiving a request from the device associated with the requesting individual for authentication credentials; and

with the data hosting system, assigning the authentication credentials to the device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving the beacon identifier and the location of the beacon associated with the beacon identifier, with the data hosting system, receiving the identity of the monitored individual to be associated with the requesting individual and with the authentication credentials; and

associating the authentication credentials with the requesting individual and with the identity of the monitored individual.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving the beacon identifier and the location of the beacon associated with the beacon identifier, with the data hosing system, receiving the beacon identifier to be associated with the monitored individual, the beacon identifier being associated with the beacon to be worn by the monitored individual and configured to communicate with the individual location monitoring system; and

associating the beacon identifier with the monitored individual.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing the beacon identifier associated with the monitored individual to the individual location monitoring system.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising encrypting the data of the identity of the monitored individual.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

with the data hosting system, receiving a request from the device associated with the requesting individual to authorize a second individual to access data about the monitored individual, the request including the authentication credentials;

verifying that the requesting individual is authorized to access data about the monitored individual based at least in part on the authentication credentials; and

authorizing the second individual to access data about the monitored individual.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitored individual is a child and the requesting individual is the child'"'"'s parent.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the monitored individual is a first monitored individual, and the method further comprises, with the data hosting system, receiving a plurality of beacon identifiers and a plurality of locations associated with a plurality of monitored individuals;

the first monitored individual is associated with an account of the requesting individual; and

the authentication credentials permit the requesting individual to receive the location of only the first monitored individual associated with the requesting individual'"'"'s account.

13. A system, comprising:

one or more beacons located within a defined area, the one or more beacons being configured to transmit beacon data packets including a beacon identifier and data associated with a location of the beacon from which the beacon data packet is transmitted;

a plurality of transceiver nodes located within the defined area, the transceiver nodes being configured, upon receipt of a beacon data packet, to transmit a transceiver node data packet including a transceiver node identifier, the beacon identifier of the beacon from which the beacon data packet was received, and the data associated with the location of the beacon from which the beacon data packet was received;

a first computer system comprising one or more processors and memory coupled thereto, the first computer system implementing an individual location monitoring system comprising;

a location determination tool to determine the location of the beacon based at least in part on the data associated with the location of the beacon; and

a first communication interface to transmit the determined location and the beacon identifier to a data hosting system; and

a second computer system comprising one or more processors and memory coupled thereto, the second computer system implementing a data hosting system comprising;

a second communication interface to receive a request from a device associated with a requesting individual for the location of a monitored individual;

an association tool to determine the identity of the monitored individual associated with the beacon identifier of the beacon from which the beacon data packet was received, and associate the location of the beacon with the identity of the monitored individual; and

an authentication tool to verify that a device associated with the requesting individual is authorized to receive the location of the beacon;

wherein the second communication interface is configured to transmit the location of the beacon to the device associated with the requesting individual.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the transceiver nodes are configured to measure metadata associated with the reception of the beacon data packets, and wherein the transceiver node data packet includes the metadata.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the metadata comprises a power level, angle, or time associated with the reception of the beacon data packets.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the location determination tool is configured to determine a location of the device associated with the requesting individual;

wherein the data hosting system further comprises a proximity tool to determine a distance between the device associated with the requesting individual and the monitored individual; and

wherein the second communication interface is further configured to send a message to the device associated with the requesting individual if the distance is greater than a predetermined threshold.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the data hosting system further comprises a proximity tool to determine a distance between the monitored individual and a predetermined geographic area, wherein the second communication interface is further configured to send a message to the device associated with the requesting individual if the distance is less than a predetermined threshold.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the location determination tool is configured to determine a location of the device associated with the requesting individual;

wherein the data hosting system further comprises a proximity tool to determine a first distance between the monitored individual and a predetermined geographic area and to determine a second distance between the device and the monitored individual; and

wherein the second communication interface is further configured to send a message to the device if the first distance is less than a first threshold and the second distance is greater than a second threshold.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the data hosting system further comprises a camera finder to determine which of one or more video cameras is closest to the location of the monitored individual, wherein the second communication interface is configured to receive a request from the device to view video of the monitored individual;

and

wherein the second communication interface is configured to send a signal to the device to allow the device to view video from the determined video camera.